The Sexist Term “Essex Girl” Has Been Removed From The Dictionary

The sexist term "Essex girl" has been removed from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary following a campaign highlighting why it is "very offensive".

According to the Oxford University Press, “Essex girl” was previously defined in the dictionary as “a name used especially in jokes to refer to a type of young woman who is not intelligent, dresses badly, talks in a loud and ugly way and is very willing to have sex".

Essentially, the definition reinforced an outdated stereotype that is sexist, classist and has slut-shaming baked in.

The campaign to have it removed from the dictionary was spearheaded by author Syd Moore, who founded the Essex Girls Liberation Front specifically for this purpose. Moore told The Times: "Women from the Congo had heard of the Essex girl. I thought 'it's time to get rid of this once and for all'."

Tweeting to share the good news on Saturday, Moore wrote: "Proof that, if you put your mind to it, you CAN CHANGE THINGS."

The term has now been removed from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, which is used to teach people learning English as a second-language. However, it will remain in the main Oxford English Dictionary because publishers say that "nothing is ever taken out" of this historic document.

"The removal of this vile definition is a small triumph to be celebrated," Moore told Refinery29 on Sunday. "The stereotype, however, is pervasive and there is still a lot of work to do, but today's a good day. Let's hope that the rest of the dictionaries think about revisiting the term too."

In 2016, an interview in which The Only Way Is Essex star Gemma Collins discussed the "very derogatory" dictionary definition of "Essex girl" went viral.

Collins suggested that the definition should be revised to state that an Essex woman is "smart, sassy, fun, and striving hard in life like everyone else".